PLYMOUTH SOUTH VOLLEYBALL: Road paved to ACL title

The foundation is set, the walls are up, and the roof has been raised. All that’s left is some painting and little finish work and the Atlantic Coast League will officially be the Plymouth South volleyball team’s house.

The foundation is set, the walls are up, and the roof has been raised. All that’s left is some painting and little finish work and the Atlantic Coast League will officially be the Plymouth South volleyball team’s house.

The Lady Panthers took a large step in their pursuit of the illusive ACL title Wednesday night when they took the measure of Dennis-Yarmouth in three sets (25-19, 25-20 and 25-22). For the last few years it’s been South, D-Y and Marshfield battling it out for the league crown. D-Y and Marshfield have taken turns in the top spot, but South has never been able to land in first place.

As long as they finish the job they’ve started, that streak should finally end this fall. Plymouth South has roared out of the gate to a 9-0 start to the season, and all of the wins have been quick and decisive. The Panthers have played 27 sets so far and have lost just one.

South has beaten Marshfield once and D-Y twice this season. Because of the rivalry between the schools in recent years, beating the Rams is that much sweeter for some of the veterans of the Panther program.

“It always seems to be D-Y that stands between us and finally winning the ACL,” senior Tri-Captain Christina Jaros said about the defending league champions. “Every time we take on them or Marshfield we are focused on winning, because they always seem to be important league games.”

Jaros and fellow captains Kelly Wagner and Sam Bazarewsky believe the key to their team’s success can be found in the bond that’s been formed between teammates.

“We are all just best friends,” Bazarewsky said. “We’ve grown together as players over the past four years, and this is going to be the season where we finally put it all together.”

“This team is so close,” Jaros said. “We have great chemistry on and off the court, and that really helps us play together as a team. We all get along awesome, and we play like we are on the same page.”

“The seniors have all been together since our freshman year, and we’ve been able to see a lot of things the last four years,” Wagner added. “Each year we’ve grown closer and closer, and this is finally going to be our year.”

Trailing 9-4 in the first set Wednesday, Plymouth South shook off a poor start and worked back to tie the game at 11-11. It was tied at 19-19 when Wagner headed to the service line to give her team some breathing room. She finished the set with a nice shot from her own back line that gave South the 25-19 win.

Jaros took over in the second set, throwing down a couple of loud kills and dropping in six aces to give South a 25-20 win.

Page 2 of 2 - D-Y came back from as many five points down to tie the third set at 19-19. It went back and forth before sophomore Mattie DiMaria stepped in and served up an ace to clinch the third and final set, 25-22.

With a two-game lead in chase for the ACL title, it’s up to South to finish the job. The League games left on the agenda are Marshfield Friday, followed by Plymouth North Oct. 16, Nauset Oct. 18, Falmouth Oct. 23 and Sandwich Oct. 25.

E-Mail the reporter at dwolcott@wickedlocal.com and follow him on Twitter, @davidwolcott1.